April Reign, creator of the #OscarsSoWhite viral campaign sits down with Rosa Clemente, the 2008 Green Party Vice-Presidential Candidate who is also an independent journalist, activist, organizer and scholar. Rosa, who identifies as an Afro-Puerto Rican activist, traces the roots of her organizing to her college days where she majored in Africana Studies. Rosa discusses what it takes to be on the front lines of social movements and her work for social justice in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, her participation on the front lines of Black Lives Matter activism and her belief in the importance of the #MeToo movement.

As you know by now, this Tuesday in the cold winter streets of Chicago, Jussie Smollett was viciously attacked by two masked men wearing MAGA hats. If there is any remaining doubt that Donald Trump’s rhetoric has reawakened and ignited a racist White America, that doubt must now be laid to rest.

This was an attack steeped in homophobia and racism.

This isn’t just a hate crime, this is an attempted lynching.

This is an act of terror.

Jussie’s attack causes trauma to him, his family, his community and the LGBTQIA community. It is a warning from white supremacists and opens the door to more fascism in this country. Fascism is a political ideology about us and them—about racial and sexual identity, because let’s be clear, Jussie was attacked because he is Black and because he is gay. In the book How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, author Jason Stanely states, “Sexual anxiety is also typical of racist politics as the patriarchal hierarchy is threatened by growing gender and sexual equity.”

This is where Trump and his followers have pushed this country to. White people terrorizing Black and Brown people has become normalized, again. White supremacy, patriarchy and homophobia destroys lives and kills people.

Let’s go back in history to truly understand the significance of the attempted lynching and chemical warfare (for anyone who doesn’t know, the attackers also threw bleach on his body).

Lifetime has released a new six-part documentary series exposing the deeply disturbing sexual misconduct and assault by musician R. Kelly of multiple black women over decades. The 6-part series, by filmmaker dream hampton is called Surviving R. Kelly, and has been released over subsequent days in the new year.

The film comes after many years of allegations and accusations against Kelly and has deepened a schism between those who feel vindicated and those who continue to defend the singer. Many have suggested that racism and sexism against black women is what kept Kelly’s crimes out of the limelight.

Among those featured in Surviving R. Kelly, is Tarana Burke, the woman credited with creating the hashtag #MeToo, that has ushered in a new era of women survivors of sexual assault being taken seriously.

Rosa Clemente has first-hand knowledge of the conditions Puerto Ricans have been living in since Hurricane Maria destroyed the island in September of 2017. To this day, Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States, is still in dire straits. As Americans without the same voting rights as U.S. citizens living on the continent, Puerto Ricans are being abandoned by the federal government. Many families are forced to migrate to the continent instead of living without electricity, water, and food. Clemente started a project called “PR on the Map,” where she and a group of Latinx journalists went to Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria to tell the untold stories of the commonwealth’s people.

Clemente has been a relentless, unstoppable force in activism, academia, and politics for over 20 years. She is a leading scholar on the issues of Afro-Latinx identity and political issues in hip-hop. She ran for Green Party Vice President in 2008 with Cynthia McKinney, making them the first women of color ticket in American history.

At the 2018 Golden Globes ceremony, Clemente was joined by celebrities Michelle Williams, Emma Watson, Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, Amy Poehler, and Emma Stone to bring attention to Puerto Rico as well as to express solidarity with women who have been victims of sexual assault with the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.

Drawing on the development of the statuses of Puerto Rico and the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, she connects the importance of recognizing the voices of marginalized people.

This talk was proposed by Mark Villegas and is sponsored by the North Foundation; Alice Drum Women’s Center; and the departments of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; American Studies; History; Latin American Studies; Anthropology; Spanish and Government (Public Affairs Lecture Fund).

]]>They Said “And Now Puerto Rico Has To Be Free” – Rosa Clemente on Borikén Podcasthttps://rosaclemente.net/and-now-puerto-rico-has-to-be-free-rosa-clemente-on-boriken-podcast/
Mon, 15 Oct 2018 16:15:48 +0000http://rosaclemente.net/?p=7295Listen in to the incredible stories and this thought-provoking conversation on what we can do to move forward in Puerto Rico.

“They said… ‘and now Puerto Rico has to be Free’ ….” – Rosa Clemente on the people she spoke with when she went to the island after Hurricane Maria.

This week I’m pretty excited to share the voice of Rosa Clemente, a community leader and activist who was in Puerto Rico for 10 days after Maria hit. She took some time to chat with me about how she became an activist and she also recommended some readings for us. I was particularly captured by the psychology of colonialism that she said is covered really well by Franz Franon.

One thing that really had me thinking was the fact that colonialism inflicts lasting damage on a culture and it’s people and trying to organize any vote to pick the best option for Puerto Rico does not actually address that. Instead everyone should be fighting for the right of Puerto Rico for self-determination, liberty and self-governance. It’s clear that the exploitation of the People of Puerto Rico has affected the health of the island. Being affiliated with the United States has not given Puerto Rico any advantage, because when history and facts are on the table… it is clearly only the United States that benefits. They impose the austerity, they drain the Puerto Rican economy (since 1900 when they took 50% of revenue) and continue to pull resources off the island while children and students go hungry and our elders are left without their basic needs.

She started PR on the Map after the Hurricane and visited the island for 10 days after Maria hit to cover the issues in Puerto Rico from the colonial context, which was not being done by mainstream media. She stated “FEMA has a bad record for a reason”… and tells us about what she saw FEMA doing in Puerto Rico. The image of FEMA officials partying while people were waiting for aid will always stay with me, when I think of my mom and stepdad waiting for water.

We also cover race and she explains how important it is to understand that engaging the political system is – and not just highlighting hair and skin in the fight against Racism and racist structures.

Listen in to the incredible stories and this thought-provoking conversation on what we can do to move forward.

One year after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, Errol Louis discussed the recovery process and what still needs to happen with: Rosa Clemente of #OurPowerPRNYC, Jorge Vasquez of LatinoJustice PRLDEF, and former State Assemblyman Nelson Denis.